Juniper Networks is integrating its OpenStack-based NFV framework for carriers with Ubuntu OpenStack through a partnership with Canonical, the developer of the Ubuntu open source operating system, the companies announced Thursday morning.

The partnership steers Juniper further toward the server and converged infrastructure market, and signals the networking giant's increasing interest in open source business models.

“Juniper Networks firmly believes that open source and open standards will continue to drive greater levels of innovation," Ankur Singla, Juniper VP of cloud software, said in a statement.

Juniper's Contrail Cloud Platform, which was launched in November as a turnkey platform for deploying virtual network functions (VNFs), already used Ubuntu Server as its primary OS option. (Juniper-qualified alternatives are available as well.) Ubuntu Server is the open source operating system that Canonical developed and monetizes primarily through the sale of service and support.

The cloud platform was already based on OpenStack as well; Thursday's announcement specifies Ubuntu OpenStack as an option, with support coming from either Juniper or Canonical. Customers can choose either company to support the entire stack, Singla notes in an email to SDxCentral. Currently, 66 percent of OpenStack deployments run on the Ubuntu operating system, according to a survey from the OpenStack Foundation.